


Again (but this time we will succeed)

by Iloveyou_3000



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka needs a hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Ahsoka Tano, BAMF CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Crack Treated Seriously, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective CT-7567 | Rex, Time Travel, because I said so, but more like, everybody needs a hug, like really, mortis arc takes place in season five now, no beta we die like men, so there's that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25242157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iloveyou_3000/pseuds/Iloveyou_3000
Summary: When she arrived on Malachor through the portal, Ahsoka meditated, searching for answers. Instead of answers, she finds more questions in the form of Maul offering her a partnership once again, as well as an opportunity to take down the Sith.By combining the Holocrons, they can, in theory, gain the answer to any question they ask. However, answers never come in the way we want.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 46
Kudos: 128





	1. Holocrons

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm pretending that the Mortis arc takes place between Se5Ep16 (Where Maul kills Satine) and Se5Ep17 (the bombing of the Jedi temple and Ahsoka's framing). I hope that makes sense?  
> I mainly did it so Ahsoka could wake up on Mortis, but other characters that are yet to be revealed have their own backstory and tension between everyone will run high because of this.  
> Also pretending that Maul kept the Sith Holocron and that Ahsoka takes her Holocron (the one seen in Se2Ep18 Shroud of Darkness) wherever she goes
> 
> Enjoy!

Blue flames licked at Ahsoka’s heals as she jumped through the black portal. Though she tried to use the force to cushion her fall, Ahsoka could still feel a few cuts and scrapes form across her arms as she skidded to a halt on the rough floor. Lifting her head, she quickly took in her surroundings to determine where the _kriff_ the portal dumped her.

 _Malachor._ She quickly realised. Back where she was not even five minutes before.

This time, however, she noticed it had lost the red atmosphere, no longer was the planet attempting to kill her. The force was also calmer. It was still filled with dark energy, whispering around her, but it stayed close to the ground, her aura enough to ward it off. For now.

Her mind re-played the events just passed in her head. 

Her fight with Vader.

Ezra saving her life.

The world between worlds.

Sidious.

She shivered as she thought of the sith lord.

“May the force be with you, Ezra Bridger”. Her voice echoed across the stone field. He would need all the luck he could get if the emperor knew of his existence and attempted to see personally to his death.

Ahsoka jumped slightly as a rock fell from the clearly unstable ceiling.

 _I need shelter_ , she thought. Another rock, this time larger, came crashing down, landing closer to her. _Now_.

She started to walk, as to approach the archway that led to the inside of the temple, only to be reminded of her shoulder injury as it flared up, sending a stab of pain through her. Gripping her shoulder in an attempt to support it, Ahsoka once-again set forward, limping along the rough path towards promised shelter, only pausing once to stare up through the small holes in the stone above to get a glimpse at the desolate night sky above.

  
  


Ahsoka was drained. Mentally and physically. Her injured shoulder was causing her more grief than she wanted to admit. The burns on her back from Sidious’ flames stung a little, and the ringing in her ear, while diminishing, was not leaving her. But most of all, she was tired. Tired of running, tired of fighting, and tired of thinking she knew the answer only to have everything ripped from under her.

Craving rest but dreading sleep, Ahsoka knelt down on the ground. It was smoother than outside, thankfully, and didn’t cause too much discomfort, however it still left a lot to desire.

Reaching behind her belt, the togruta pulled out the square object that meant the world to her, the one that got through the worst of the solo missions she undertook for the rebellion. Breathing in and out, Ahsoka focused her energy on the Holocron, using her connection to open it.

She couldn’t help but flinch as her master’s voice filled the silence that surrounded her, still reeling from the confirmation that it was _him_ behind the mask. However, she forced herself to listen to his training as he continued to talk about form, the best angle to deflect a blaster bolt from, and how to turn defence into offence.

Breathing in and out, she sat there, attempting to steady her racing heart as the recording repeated once more, pushing herself through the tears that fell silently from her closed eyes, dripping onto her armour before falling to the floor.

Ahsoka stayed there for some time before her stomach roused her from her half-meditative state, reminding her that it too exists and would like sustinese.

Knowing she wouldn’t survive long if she didn’t find a source of food, the togruta stood up and reattached the Holocron to her belt before walking deeper into the sith temple to get to the other side.

 _Perhaps one of the inquisitor’s TIE fighters may be equipped with some ration bars_ . _It could even be my ticket off this dust bucket._

As Ahsoka trailed through the temple hallways, her white saber as a guide, she couldn’t help but stare at the markings on the wall. The battle, whenever it had taken place, however long ago, had clearly made its way inside the temple. _And left its mark_ , she mused. The scorch marks trailed up the walls, even on the ceiling. The adversaries who fought in these halls were clearly gifted, as saber burns littered the entirety of the passage.

Soon, the hallway widened into an opening, and Ahsoka was greeted with the sight of two inquisitor fighters.

_Probably the seventh sister and fifth brother’s ships. They certainly won’t be needing them anymore._

She started her rocky descent down the cliff face of the temple, sliding down it with the aid of the force, only tripping once or twice. Landing, Ahsoka walked towards the fighters before igniting her saber in preparation to cut into the fighter to access anything that may be in it.

“I would be careful if I was you, Lady Tano.” She spun around, removing her other saber from its place on her belt, however leaving it dormant in her hand.

“Maul.” He grinned maliciously from above, standing on top of a large boulder that rested against the temple wall.

“One never knows what sort of traps those, what do they call themselves now? Ah yes, _inquisitors_ ,” he spat their title as if it physically pained him to say. “Have set.”

He jumped down from his vantage point, landing meters away from her without drawing his lightsaber. Ahsoka took it as a sign of peace and in turn extinguished her own, while still holding them in her grasp, in case she needed them at a moment's notice.

“What do you want, Maul?” She was wary of him. Nothing good ever came of their encounters.

“What makes you think I need something, Lady Tano?” She simply raised her brow at him.

Sighing, he shrugged in defeat before reaching around behind him, taking something off his belt and bringing it around in his hand.

“I’m sure you are well aware of what this is.” He produced a Sith Holocron. “Just as I am sure you know its use.” He looked to her for confirmation. Once she nodded in understanding, he continued.

“However I am not sure you know of the ritual that is combining the two.” Ahsoka simply raised a brow, so far unimpressed.

“I understand you may be slightly sceptical of me, after… certain events -” She let out a harsh laugh at his gross understatement. “- but I believe this may be of interest to you.”

He moved forward slightly, not doing anything to ease her suspicions.

“By now, I am sure you have accepted the fate of your master has become,” she flinched at the reminder, “a fate I warned you of long ago.”

“If you are trying to persuade me to see your side of things you are failing miserably.” She snipped.

“I see. Let me come at this from a different angle. You no doubt, want to see the empire gone?” Ahsoka nodded slowly.

“A feat that is impossible while the Emperor and his apprentice are in power. What I offer, Lady Tano, is a mutual opportunity to gain the knowledge needed to take. Them. _Down._ ”

Now he piqued her interest.

“I’m listening.”

“Before I do, Lady Tano, might you put those-” he gestured loosely to the sabers still in her hands “-away. I mean you no harm.”

She would have scoffed at him, asked him if he thought her that naive. However, something in the force rang out for her to trust him. So she hooked her sabers on her belt, still on guard though.

“It is rarely done, as it requires the willingness of both light and dark side users. Together, the two can open their Holocron before merging them. Doing so allows each force wielder to ask and receive answers to any question they have.”

“Why are you bringing this up, Maul?” She shifted her feet as he started walking towards her, then had to mask her surprise as he sat down in front of her before looking up, a feral grin plastered on his face.

“Because I want to try.”

Regarding him with high levels of suspicion, Ahsoka too sat down, legs crossed as she retrieved her own Holocron from behind her.

Before she placed it on the ground she warned him,

“If you try anything funny I have no qualms about killing you.”

His only response was to widen his grin.

“I was about to say the same thing.”

With that laid out before them, both force users closed their eyes and reached out to their holocrons, unlocking them and lifting them into the air. Blue and red light gently pulsed between them. Ahsoka nudged her Holocron forward as she felt Maul do the same, only stopping when they were near touching.

 _Keep going, Ahsoka_. She heard inside her head, so she did, still not sensing any ill-intent or warnings through the force, choosing to ignore his use of her first name.

Pushing the Holocron forward, the final gap was closed and Ahsoka’s mind lit up. She could feel everything. The walls she had carefully constructed since the events of Malachore took place came tumbling down, and her guilt, shame and sadness started to bubble out.

She could also feel Maul’s mental shields suddenly vanish. She jerked back from his mind to give both him and herself space.

 _To maintain the connection of the holocrons, we must accept each other’s mind into our own, Lady Tano._ Not liking it, but not feeling any malicious intent through the force, Ahsoka allowed their minds to meld as they delved together into the information stored in the combined holocrons.

It could have been hours. It could have been minutes, but as she sat amongst her sadness, her thoughts started straying from her quest for knowledge. Memories of her darkest moments began running around her head, chasing away every inch of peace that was left. She could barely hear Maul’s warning to stay on task as the holocrons pulled her deeper into their dark light.

It wasn’t too long after that the _what-ifs_ and _could-have-beens_ swept into her head.

_What if Anakin didn’t fall_

The tiny remnants of rock around her rose off the ground

_What if I fought harder_

Larger, whole stones joined, circling above them

_What if I helped him_

She didn’t, _couldn’t_ feel it, when she too rose from the floor

_What if I was better_

The stones moved faster, feeding off her distress, while the Holocron glowed brighter as if trying to break her negative thought cycle

_What if I never left_

The ground beneath her shook. The holocrons projected images of her walking away from the temple, of her vision in the Lothal temple, of her confrontation with Vader and her discovery of his identity

_I can’t save my master_

A crack ripped through the surface of the plane

_I know that_

The sound of her mind was deafening

 _But what if you can?_ Maul’s mental voice broke through her internal struggle.

Ahsoka tore her eyes open, only to be blinded by the light emanating from the holocrons. A pain like never before clawed through her, ripping her up from the inside out. But, as soon as it started, it stopped, and she felt at peace. The world around her twisted and warped, darkness and light seemed to battle violently around them. She could feel all her thoughts screaming around her, could feel Maul's thoughts howling with them.

Yet she still strangely felt at peace.

_Balance_

Something seemed to whisper around her, breaking through the wailing inside her mind.

_You must find balance._

Another flash of light and Ahsoka’s vision was black, her connection to Maul severed.

  
  
  


Feeling gradually swept through her body, from the ache in her legs to the grass gently tickling the back of her neck.

 _Grass?_

Not wanting to put too much pressure on her already strained body, Ahsoka let herself come-to slowly, reaching out with the force only when she had gained full physical feeling. Not a moment after she reached her senses out did she recoil them as she brushed up against a force signature she hadn’t felt in _years_.

 _It couldn’t be,_ she thought to herself. Ahsoka reached out again, thinking she made a mistake in her newfound consciousness, only to leap back into herself after getting the same result.

 _No. No no no nononononono. They’re_ dead.

Fear rippled through Ahsoka as she hesitantly opened her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she was more afraid of. Opening her eyes and confirming that they were not there, and this was indeed a cruel trick, the sith temple was playing on her. 

Or that when she opened her eyes to see they _were_ alive.

Her vision focused in the dim light, and she slowly took in her surroundings. Nothing but grey met her view.

 _I was right; it was a trick._

She couldn’t sense Maul, however judging by her alive-ness and her strange, new-found, force-secreted trust in him, this was not his doing. That only meant one thing. Someone else was here. And that someone could be dangerous once they realised she was awake.

Ahsoka leapt to her feet, ignoring her body’s objection and scanned her eyes around the room, only to notice she was not in the same temple room as she had been mere seconds ago. Then she spotted the figure closest to her.

 _He_ was here.

Blades ignited instantly, Ahsoka lept forwards, pinning _him_ against the wall. Before she could deal the killing blow, she looked down to see a green, not white saber. Her moment of hesitancy allowed _him_ to speak.

“Ahsoka? It’s okay; he’s gone, it’s just us now”.

No no no _no no nononononononononon_

She froze.

“Snips? You’re not still under his control, are you? I thought you said she was…”

She didn’t hear anything else that came out of his mouth. Dropping her lightsabers, Ahsoka gripped her head.

 _Her montrals were smaller than she remembered._ Much _smaller._

She backed away, continuing to clutch her head, shaking it in an attempt to wake herself up from whatever nightmare this was.

_Ahsoka_

The voice was similar - _too_ similar. It was the voice that haunted her dreams ever since Mandalore. There was no way it could be them. They were dead. At least the part that still cared for her was dead.

_AHSOKA_

The voice screamed around her, making her lose her balance, or so she would later come to realise, her sense of the physical world beyond her head had all but left her.

“AHSOKA” wakefulness slipped away from her again. Ahsoka tried to give into it. Anything to escape this nightmare. But it seemed the force had other plans for her.

She was on the ground again, a face close to her own. She opened her eyes once more, only to be met with brilliant gold - _no_ \- blue ones.

Her voice was shaky, weary, barely audible. 

_It couldn’t be_

“Anakin?”

No sooner had she spoken did the force finally allow her to collapse into blissful unconsciousness.


	2. No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Obi-Wan have a conversation.
> 
> Ahsoka has a conversation with... herself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy....  
> I know I said I'd update weekly and I stuffed up on my first update I am so sorry.

Anakin was as confused as ever. The yellow in her eyes had gone, just had all the other strange vein markings on her, when the Daughter used him as a vessel to revive her. So why was she acting like this? It didn’t make _sense_. Was the Son still somehow a part of her? Did the dark still surround her? She didn’t feel dark. Then again, she didn’t feel wholly light either. Something had definitely changed.

Anakin made sure to voice these concerns to Obi-Wan once the Father walked away, though to where, who knew.

“I’m sure she’s just in shock, Anakin,” he placated in response. “She did just wake up from being _dead_ after all.”

While that did make sense, something was still off.

“I understand Obi-Wan, but something feels different.” At his old master’s raised brow, Anakin elaborated.

“Her force signature. It’s different. It feels… older?” _That can’t be right_. “And muted, like she’s shielding a part of her presence, even while she’s unconscious.”

The older Jedi pondered this for a moment.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps we should wait until Ahsoka comes back to us, then we can ask her. Until then, we need to find a safe place.” He nodded in Ahsoka’s direction. “I’m sure you don’t mind carrying her. She is _your_ student, after all.” He said, a small smirk gracing his face.

Anakin nodded with a slight smile before bending down and gently wrapping his arms under his padawan and lifting her up.

* * *

Halfway through their trek back to the ship and Ahsoka started twitching in his arms.

“Ahh… Obi-Wan?” Anakin called to the Jedi in front of him.

“What now?” He asked, still walking forwards.

“Something’s happening to Ahsoka.”

Concerned for his grandpadawn, Obi-Wan stopped walking and turned to the source of Anakin’s worries.

Strangely, Ahsoka’s twitching stopped as soon as his old master turned around, as if sensing this and wanting to make a fool out of Anakin.

_At least something is coming back to normal_

“Nothing. Nevermind.” Obi-Wan sighed in exasperation before turning back around and continuing on

“We still have a while to go. I’d like to get to the ship before the Son thinks to look for us.” A large stone rolled down from the hill beside them, blocking half the path in front of them. It would have crushed them if they were a few paces down. “Or -” He brushed off the dirt from his robes with a small scowl on his face. “- before this planet decides it’s had enough of us”

They continued the rest of the walk in silence.

* * *

When they arrived at the shuttle, Anakin’s arms were visibly shaking with the effort of carrying his padawan for so long.

Walking up the ramp and into the small sleeping quarters on the ship, he gently laid her down on one of the bunks, making sure she wouldn’t fall off when she eventually woke.

He ducked under a pipe on his way out, cursing when he hit his head on another, slightly higher up and hidden by the one before it.

“You know, Anakin, cursing isn’t going to help me fix the ship.” Obi-Wan teased.

He simply sighed and shook his head at his old master’s teasing.

Obi-Wan already had goggles on and was attempting to fix the primary converters, so Anakin got to work on the hyperdrive, wanting to get off this forsaken planet as soon as possible. Who knew what Ahsoka’s health condition was like after she came back from the dead.

“How’s Ahsoka.” _Speak of the devil._

“She’s pretty out of it,” Anakin responded, both relief and sorrow filling his voice as he pried open the hatch to the hyperdrive. “Don’t think she’ll be waking up till we’re airborne.”

A long moment of silence passed over them before he spoke once more.

“Do you have any idea what the _Son_ did to her?” He asked while tightening a bolt, spitting his name as if it hurt him to say it.

Obi-Wan sighed before answering, “Anakin, you must let this go. We’re going to be off this rock soon enough.” Anakin turned around just in time to watch a spark fly out and singe a small part of Obi-Wan’s beard off. “If we get the ship working, that is.” He grumbled.

“I’m only asking,” he grit out, “because something’s different about her.”

Finally, the older Jedi stopped working and turned his full attention to his former student.

“What do you mean?”

“Just feel. Her force signature isn’t what it was a few hours ago.”

“That could simply be darkness left from when the son controlled her,” Obi-Wan pointed out, waving a spanner to highlight his point.

Anakin felt exasperated. _Why doesn’t he understand? There’s something… different about her._

“I don’t know how to explain it, master,” the title slipped out by accident, however it seemed to go unnoticed. “But she’s not the same _Ahsoka_. I don’t just mean in matters of light and dark. I could sense the difference ever since I brought her back. She feels older?” He trailed off into a question, unsure of how to word it.

“Anakin, I know you are concerned for Ahsoka -”

“And you’re not?” He asked incredulously

“Of course I am.” Obi-Wan replied strongly. “I simply mean, that sort of concern can manifest itself into a fear that creates things that do not exist.” He put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder in a show of understanding.

“I just want you to be careful. _I_ still worry about _you_.”

* * *

  
  


Darkness moved around her, surrounded her as she floated along in the vast expanse of nothingness.

_Now you see, child._

Ahsoka’s head whipped around as she tried to find the source of the voice.

“Hello?”

_Now you see what he is_

“What who is?” She questioned, confusion etched into her features.

 _What your_ Master _truly is. What he will become._

Ahsoka twisted around again, suddenly being confronted by herself. Her _old_ self. _Or is it my future self?_

The older version of herself stared, so she stared back. She remembered now, being visited in the cave by the same vision, with a similar message, a similar warning, of her master.

The other her looked the same as she had right before Malachor, the same headband, wrist guards and sabers. The only difference was the absence of Mori

“You know what you must do.” The other Ahsoka spoke in finality.

“What?”

“You have lived to see what your master will become, what you were warned about all those years ago.”

_Well that doesn’t clear anything up._

She looked around the place she was stuck in. Black stretched around her, just like in the world between worlds, only there were no stars and no paths to follow.

“What do you mean?”  
  
“All the pain, anger, and hurt that has followed you for nearly twenty years. You can fix it.”

“But I can’t do anything about it.” She reasoned. “It’s all in the past.”

“Nothing is as it seems.” _Great, a cryptic_

“What the kriff do you mean by that?”

The older version of herself shook its head and looked at her with humor.

“Look at yourself, child.” She pointed behind Ahsoka.

As directed, Ahsoka turned around, only to come face-to-face with a mirror wall, in the reflection her fifteen year-old self stared back. She grabbed at her lekku in curiosity, expecting to feel it to be the length it was at her current age, only to find it was as short as the one in the mirror.

This caused her to look down at herself. She noticed her whole body matched that of her reflection. Turning back to the older version, or current version she supposed, she decided to get some answers.

“What is going on?”

“Can’t you see?” _You’re karking kidding me._

“Well _clearly -_ ” She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “- I can’t. So just _tell me_ what is going on.”

“Would you prevent this, if you could?”

“Prevent _what_?” Ahsoka was getting really frustrated now.

“ _Everything._ The empire -”

_She watched as village after village was raided, burned to the ground as the empire hunted for her. Watched as all the residents were put to death._

“- prevent the rise of the Sith -”

_The inquisitor wouldn’t let them go. Instead she dragged her blade slowly through the twi’lek in an attempt to get Ahsoka to come out of hiding._

“- the fall of the republic, of the Jedi -”

_The force was screaming as she felt life after life be taken, only for a black presence to rise in its place._

“- order 66 -”

 _They turned their blasters on her. She could only look on in shock as Rex tried to kill her, all while screaming at her to find him, then calling her a traitor_.

“- _everything_.”

“That’s not possible.” She whispered, wide-eyed. “It can’t be.” _This must be some sick joke._

“But it is, child,” the older her spoke softly. “There is only one thing you have to do to make it happen, once you leave this place.”

Ahsoka looked at her older self.

“You’re master, Anakin.”

“I can save him? Stop Sidious from taking him?” Hope filled her, leaching onto her saddest memories, begging her to change them so it never happens

“No. He must die. You must kill him.” 

Horror filled her face.

“No. I will not.”

“You _must_ ” She insisted.

Ahsoka turned around, unable to face the older version of herself and the task it presented.

“I… I can’t” she whispered.

 _You MUST!_ The other yelled. She gripped her head as the voice started worming its way inside her, attempting to latch on to all her fear, her pain, her hate.

 _He cannot be allowed to live. You must_ kill him.

Ahsoka fell to the floor as the vision dissolved back into the nothingness that it came from.

_He must DIE!_

“No. No.” She spoke back, slowly finding it in herself to fight back against the presence.

 _You must KILL HIM child. Or else_ you _will die._

“NO. There is _good_ in him.”

 _The same good that tried to_ kill _you?”_ The voice ridiculed. _The same good that sought to deal the final blow moments after you vowed not to leave._

A single tear escaped her eye at the memory. But she shoved it down into the dark place that held all her sorrows, all her regrets, and stood up.

_You must KILL HIM_

“No. No. _No_ ”

_He is too powerful to be left alive_

I am one with the force

_You must strike now, before Sidious controls him_

The force is with me.

_KILL HIM. It is your DESTINY_

I am one with the force

_KILL HIM OR DIE_

The force is with me

 _ANAKIN SKYWALKER MUST_ DIE

 _“_ No.” Finding it within herself, Ahsoka pushed with everything she could muster against the oppressive presence and _pushed_.

The ground beneath her shook as the voice shrieked. Still she persisted, taking her fear and turning it from weakness into a weapon, driving it through the voice around her until it was no more.

The black ground beneath her split, light seeping through the crack, shifting her feet.

Finally, with one last shove, the voice was silenced.

In its place, light entered. Around her, Ahsoka watched as the void transformed, becoming bathed in white, an endless sea of light.

Feeling at peace, she made the mistake of relaxing.

From the fracture in the ground, a shadow-like mist rose. As it drew closer, Ahsoka could see the slight blue tint within.

 _Like flames._ She realised. _Like from the world between worlds_. It drew closer still, close enough that she could see it was indeed the flames from the world between worlds. Realising her mistake, she prepared to run in the opposite direction, only to be met with more sith fire.

Ahsoka turned again, confronted by blue flames all around her. She was trapped. She thought for sure she was about to be enveloped in the burning heat, however, just before they touched her lekku, the flames stopped.

She realised she had shut her eyes at some point and opened them. Looking around, Ahsoka realised the fire had formed a small circle around her. She reached out a hand only to pull back as it hit the stinging wall of fire

_Definitely real_

Not sure how to escape the whirling storm of flame, Ahsoka was about to kneel down in an attempt to contact

Dread washed over her.

_Sidious._

She must still be in the world between worlds then. She would _not_ let it fall to him.

Removing her lightsabers from their hold, Ahsoka was about to ignite them when the fire roared to life, pouncing in on her.

Pain erupted all around her as she burned yet remained unharmed, being able to shield herself with the force was no longer an option. She tried to move, but that only made the pain more intense. So she did the only thing she could.

She screamed.

Then it all stopped.

And started again, only weaker.

Small aches stretched through her limbs, but as she opened her eyes she noticed she wasn’t in the void as she previously was. She was in a sleeping quarters, on a ship.

 _Must be an Imperial ship._ She thought. _Then why am I alive?_

She moved a little to gain a sense of what sort of drugs they had her on, because there was no way they would leave her here without some form of restraint. However, in doing so, she knocked something off a stand, causing it to clang to the floor loudly.

Cursing herself silently, she listened to see if her captors had her and if they knew she was awake yet.

Ahsoka heard movement from outside the room coming closer so stood close to the bed, ready to attack but also hide, in case they came at her with stunners.

As her captors gently opened the door, Ahsoka couldn’t help the gasp of surprise that escaped her.

“Snips! You’re awake, that’s great.”

“Yes, it is good. Are you feeling better, young one?”

They looked _exactly_ like Anakin and Obi-Wan. Which was impossible. She had no idea if Obi-Wan was even alive, and she _knew_ what happened to Anakin. _No, Vader. It’s Vader now._

Ahsoka snarled at the two.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, Sith, but this won’t work. I will tell you _nothing_.”

Ahsoka crouched on the bunk as best she could, muscles coiled and ready to spring when the hallucination dropped

“I will not fall for your tricks.”

The one masquerading as Obi-Wan had the decency to look shocked by her accusation.

“Ahsoka I don’t understand. It’s me and Anakin. The Son isn’t here, he can’t hurt you.”

She laughed sadly at this. Don’t lie to me. I know what happened. You’re both _dead_ . _It was better to think of them as dead at least._

Not-Anakin’s face grew dark.

“The Son. He did this.” Not-Obi-Wan turned to face him.

“Anakin I know what you’re thinking and you can’t, it’s too -” Before her fake grandmaster could finish, her fake master was already out the ship, mind set on his goal.

Not-Obi-Wan turned back to her, sighing.

“I don’t know what to say to prove to you that I’m real, but surely you can feel. Reach out Ahsoka, we _are_ here. You are safe.”

 _Safe. I haven’t been safe ever since I was fourteen and dragged into a war that shouldn’t have even happened._ Still, she did what the not-Obi-Wan told and reached out with the force.

Her mind brushed up against his, and it was all she could do not to flinch away. _It feels like him. So much like him._ Ever so slowly, she pushed against his presence in the force a little more, moving past the shields that he lowered. Ahsoka delved a little further, finding a memory. His first memory of her.

The battle of Christophsis. 

She watched as time flashed by her in a single moment. Her walking off the transport, their introduction, the shock as she informed them it was Skywalker, not Kenobi who she would be apprenticed to.

More images flashed through his mind and into hers. Small moments, often deemed insignificant.

His rescue from the cave when they were tracking Dooku. The moment after they rescued her people from Zygerria. Other small moments, conversations around the temple, little portions of peace that she used to take for granted.

She knew not to now.

Ahsoka also knew when to accept what was happening.

She withdrew from Obi-Wan’s mind, opening her tear-filled eyes.

 _It’s real. I’m really here._ She still half-expected it all to be ripped away from her as soon as she moved, so she stayed as still as she could.

“Ahsoka?” He ventured.

The gentleness of his voice broke her from her stupor.

Ahsoka lunged forward and gripped the man in a powerful hug, nearly surprising him off his feet. 

“You’re really here.” Shock gone, her grandmaster returned her hug somewhat hesitantly, offering what reassurance he could in his confused state.

Not wanting to upset the distressed togruta any further, he simply held on as she collected herself.

After a few slow, painful minutes, Ahsoka pulled away, wiping her eyes in a poor attempt to conceal her emotions, forgetting for a moment her mental shields are down and she’s broadcasting very loudly. She laughs sadly to herself, pretending to ignore the incredulous look the Jedi opposite her is giving, choosing instead to sit back down on the bunk and attempt to collect her thoughts.

Noticing it was clear she wanted to be alone, Obi-Wan stepped out of the room and exited the shuttle.

Mind racing, Ahsoka tried to organise these new ideas and situations into something that resembled a coherent train of thought.

 _So I_ am _here. I am not a prisoner, there is no way a sith could keep up this amount of light energy for this long, all while emanating the force signature of someone who is most likely long dead._

She held her head in her lap.

_But does that mean I get to change things? That presence seems hell-bent on me killing Anakin._

A shudder ripped through her as she recalled the events prior to her awakening.

 _I will_ not _murder my master. He is still good. Even on Malachor, there was a shred of good in him. There_ has _to be._

Ahsoka struggled to keep her breathing even.

 _It doesn’t matter what has happened. Or will happen? I can save him. I can save them all. First however,_ she reasoned, _we have to get off this fucking monster of a planet._

A small part of her, in the back of her head, a remnant of the Jedi she used to be, was appalled at her poor use of words, however she couldn’t find it in herself to care. No amount of cursed, be that in basic, huttese or even binary could describe how much she hated this place. Though there were some, albeit a very small list, of places that were worse, this one certainly came close. It was here where she lost a part of herself as the Son claimed her mind as his and she had to watch from the back of her head as she tried to kill the two people closest to her.

Ahsoka cursed herself for letting her thoughts get away from her. She had to focus back on Mortis.

_Mortis._

The events of Mortis would be forever etched in her brain.

The ship crashing.

The strange night and day cycle.

Anakin’s crazy trial, orchestrated by the father.

Her kidnapping and mind-altering.

The Daughter's death.

The son’s rise to power.

The Son’s attempt to corrupt Anakin.

_Anakin._

He had gone to confront the Son, earlier than last time.

_I have to find him. I have to stop the Son from showing him what he becomes._

Although she never actually witnessed what happened when the Son did whatever he did to Anakin, she did recall Obi-Wan being stranded and having to be rescued by her, lightly traumatised from whatever happened. She also remembered having to run away from the ship and hide from Anakin when he attempted to steal the shuttle to escape with the Son off-world.

She couldn’t let that happen this time. She would save him, before the Son got into his head.

Mind made up, Ahsoka stood up swiftly, ignoring the blood-rush and stalked down the ship, only to find Obi-Wan and the Father talking.

“Anakin has gone to confront your son, hasn’t he?”

She remembered this conversation.

“Deep within this planet, exists a place where all that is dark is channeled.” The Father replied solemnly.

“And how do I get there?” She could see Obi-Wan was losing his patience, was losing his famed _negotiator_ edge.

“You _cannot_ interfere.”

But she could. And she was going to.

Stepping in front of Obi-Wan, who had already jumped onto his speeder in preparation to go after Anakin, she stared the Father deep in the eyes, letting her shields down the smallest bit so he could sense the truth and the finality behind her next few words.

“I don’t care.”

Shock was evident on his face, she could also feel the surprise radiate of her grandmaster at her sudden, bold words. She should have chosen her next words more carefully.

“I don’t care about the sick plots you and your children have been concocting with Anakin at the center, with the fate of the galaxy at stake, attempting to shove him into the title of _the chosen one_ ,” she mocked the title. “But I have had it with these mind-games and manipulations. I am going to save my master, and you _will_ tell. Me. How.”

It took the Father a few seconds to break from his stupor, anger replacing his previous bewilderment.

“You know nothing of what you speak of, _child._ ” He hissed, leaning down so his face was close enough that she could feel his breath. Instead of flinching backwards and apologizing for her rash behaviour, like she would have if she were not from the future and had not seen far more threatening gestures, stayed still and held the Father’s piercing gaze.

She watched as his eyes flicked around her face, looking for a sign of weakness.

“You know _nothing_ of my struggle. To have such love for your children, knowing they have the capabilities to destroy everything in the galaxy.”

Her hand clenched by her side.

“ _Ahsoka_.” Obi-Wan both warned and chastised her. She knew if she did not calm herself down someone would get hurt and Anakin would fall under the Son’s control once more. Ahsoka shut her eyes and took a deep breath in, not releasing her emotions into the force, but not latching onto them either.

She felt rather than saw the Father, clearly thinking he had won their short argument, pull away and stand up to his full height. Releasing her breath, Ahsoka opened her eyes, never taking her gaze off the Father.

“I know. More than you think. I _know_.” She forced all of her conviction into her words. It somehow affected the god-like being in front of her as he flinched slightly. Ahsoka felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Obi-Wan, who had gotten off the speeder at some point, give her a confused look. She still was not used to seeing his face in so long, and turned back to the Father before her emotions got the best of her again.

“Help me or not, I am _going_ to find and save him. I don’t give two sith-spitting _shits_ -” 

“ _Ahsoka!_ ”

“- about whether or not the force wants me to intervene. I’m going.”

And with that, she got on the speeder and started it up, before turning to Obi-Wan.

“You coming?”

Instead of answering, he gingerly got behind her and she took off, leaving the Father behind more confused than he had ever been in his life.

* * *

Anakin descended down the pit swiftly, anger simmering as he thought about the Son.

 _I don’t know what he did to_ my _padawan, but he will_ pay _for making her suffer the way he has._

On some level he knew his anger was not Jedi like, and he should be fighting against it, releasing his emotions into the force like he had been taught, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t let go of his protectiveness when it came to those he loved. He had kept it in somewhat when Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were kidnapped by the Daughter and the Son, but there was a limit to how much he could control his possessiveness. 

He would make the Son pay.

The floor approached him quickly. Setting the speeder down and shutting it off, Anakin stepped out onto the ground and looked around. There wasn’t much to see. Lots of lava in a large cave, with a few safe places to stand.

Turning back around to where his speeder was, Anakin found himself face-to-face with the one he was seeking out.

“ _You._ ” he growled, igniting his saber and pointing it at the Son.

The Son, still totally calm, simply waved his hand around.

“We need not be adversaries, Skywalker.”

Anakin couldn’t help but feel another bout of anger rise at that comment.

“You killed my padawan. It is only because of your sister that she is alive now.” It was clear that struck a chord in the Son. _I don’t care_.

“And I don’t know what you did, but Ahsoka isn’t acting herself and I know it is _your_ fault.”

Something flickered over the Son’s face. Was that… confusion?

“I don’t know what has happened to your padawan -”

“Liar!” He spat. “As soon as she woke up she attacked me, then when she woke the next time she was _convinced_ that I wasn’t real. And it’s _your fault_.”

Still, the Son remained his dark version of peaceful.

“I assure you, whatever is going on with your apprentice is not my doing, but -” a smirk emerged across his face. “- I do know how you can save her. Her and _everyone else_ you love. Just let me show you…”

The Son stepped back after muttering those ominous words, smoke circling the spot where he used to be. Anakin felt the dark start to press into his mind.

“No.” He muttered as it tried to breach his mental defences.

The darkness pressed harder, forcing him onto his knees, showing him small glimpses of images. He knew it was a sith trick, that he couldn’t give in, but it was so strong.

An attack came from behind as the presence started grabbing at him from every side, the smoke closing in around him. Anakin shut his eyes in effort as he grabbed his head, desperately trying to field the darkness away and not let it show him these things.

He could feel the presence beg to be let in, whispering false promises of safety and answers to his most burning questions, all while it attacked him viciously, tearing away at the walls in his mind. A lone tear escaped from the corner of his eye.

The images slowly became clearer, producing small sounds as well. The echo of voices of those he loves, sounds of gunfire that were all too familiar mixed in with them.

Anakin knew it wouldn’t be far off that the darkness would break through.

 _What about Obi-Wan? What about_ Ahsoka?

Just as the darkness was about to slip through a crack it had created within his head, a light broke through the dark shadows around them. Green pierced through the smoke, dissipating it entirely, forcing the darkness out of his head.

Blinking rapidly, Anakin slowly got used to his surroundings once more.

“Anakin?” The origins of the voice confused him, he could have sworn that it was Ahsoka.

“Anakin!” Looking up, he could see it was in fact Ahsoka standing over him, calling out his name, concern etched across her face. He continued to stare at her as she crouched down to his level.

“Are you alright, master?” He flinched inwardly at the honorific. No matter how long it had been, he still hadn’t gotten used to being called master, it still made him uneasy.

He let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding before he responded

“Now why wouldn’t I be alright, snips,” he joked, not noticing Ahsoka’s slight recoil at the nickname. He did however notice her roll her eyes.

“You’re right, it’s not like you were attacked or anything.” She deadpanned, before stepping back and offering a hand up, which he accepted.

He was brushing off the dirt that made itself home on his robe when he noticed Obi-Wan’s absence. He voiced this to Ahsoka moments later.

“He’s up top, making sure we’re not ambushed from above. Speaking of -” she moved her arm up and pressed on the commlink. “- I’ve got him, Obi-Wan, we’re all good down here.”

“Well that’s good news,” his old master’s voice sounded over the comms. “Get him up here so we can finally leave this planet before something tries to kill us. Again.”

Ahsoka simply smiled before shutting it off. She turned back to him, about to say something when the Son emerged from the shadows of the cave.

“Well isn’t this a lovely sight. The apprentice saves the master this time.” In a blink, Anakin watched Ahsoka move from her laid back stance by the bikes to a crouch defensive position in front of him, lightsabers ignited.

 _How in the ever loving sith hells did she - is she trying to protect_ me?

“You won’t get him,” She hissed. “Not this time.” The words she uttered carried a deep emotional connection, one he’d never seen in his padawan before.

The Son laughed in her face before sending out a wave in the force, knocking him off his feet. Anakin barely got himself back up before the Son summoned red force lightning directed at his padawan.

Time slowed down in front of him as the lightning approached Ahsoka, who positioned her sabers into a defensive cross. When the lightning struck, it bypassed the shield she created and hit her straight on, forcing her to the ground as she convulsed in pain.

Anakin could only watch as her life slowly left her. He tried to run across to her, but the Son stretched his other hand out to stop him. Only one thought crossed his mind as he tried to fight against the Son, whose powers had only grown since the death of the Daughter changed the balance within the planet. _She’s going to die. And it will be my fault_.

He felt the hope drain out of his body as Ahsoka crumbled into herself, pure sith power surrounding her.

“Now you see, child, that you will _never_ have the power to save your master.” The Son snarled at her. Ahsoka’s response was not one that he expected. Instead of further caving in on herself, she lifted her head and stared at the Son in defiance, uttering one word clear as day.

“No.”

He watched in frozen awe and fear as Ahsoka reached out with her hands, and, like the Father did, held the lightning off with the force. Shock flashed over the Son’s face as he doubled his efforts, dropping Anakin in the process. Still, he remained confined to the one spot of ground, watching as they battled in the force.

Ahsoka suddenly pushed back, so hard he felt it too, redirecting the lightning back to the Son.

“You insolent _pest_ ” The Son sneered. “You must accept what is to come. It is his destiny.”

“I. Don’t. _Care._ ” She cried, shoving with what looked like everything she had back towards the Son, sending his stumbling meters back, ceasing the barrage of force lightning that was directed her way.

The Son glared hatefuly at Ahsoka. “If you will not accept his life, then he will _die_.”

Anakin barely registered the words spoken before an invisible hand wrapped itself around his throat, lifting him off the ground as he clawed nothing, unable to breath.

“Now do you see what your inability to welcome fate leads to?” The Son growled, focussing on Ahsoka once more.

Black began to take over his vision.

Before death could welcome him into its ranks, a piercing scream echoed throughout the lava-filled cave.

The ground met his body painfully he crashed to the floor, the pressure squeezing the air out of him thankfully gone. Pushing himself off the rock floor, Anakin attempted to understand what the ever-loving _fuck_ just happened.

His eyes surveyed the cave. The was a large split running through the ground that was _not_ there before. It ran across the whole floor, up the walls and past where he could see, leading into a large void of blackness. The force, he noticed, was in complete shambles. Both light and dark echoed throughout the place, seemingly connected and at peace with each other, rather than in constant battle. 

Anakin further looked on to notice that, at the epicenter of all the confusing force energy was Ahsoka.

She stood there, in the middle of the cut that ran through the ground, surrounded by rubble, panting for breath and clutching her side.

“Ahsoka?”

Her head whipped around and caught his eye, taking in his bewildered face.

“What. The. _Fuck._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you guys enjoyed that! I swear I will try to get updates out weekly, but honestly who knows.  
> Please tell me what you guys think, I'm not entirely sure where I want to go with this so if you guys have any suggestions please let me know! Although I probably won't change too much from my idea for the next two chapters.  
> Also I am probably going to play fast and loose with the timeline of each arc, but nothing before season three. A few things that are going to stay already happened is all the Maul arcs have happened, other than that feel free to give me suggestions about what arcs you wanna see in the story leading up to the climax!


	3. Everyone’s concerned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously  
> “Ahsoka?”  
> Her head whipped around and caught his eye, taking in his bewildered face.  
> “What. The. Fuck.”
> 
> Now  
> The second half of the time-twisted Mortis arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys.   
> Sorry, it's been so long - but I think I'm going to change my schedule from what I said (once a week) to every fortnight. That way I have two weekends to write one chapter. It should also help me write longer chapters for you guys.  
> So far I haven't deviated from the timeline within my story, but this is the last of the Mortis arc so that will change soon, I promise.

_ Shit _

Ahsoka knew she couldn’t just ignore what just happened, or hope that Anakin would forget about it. She had royally fucked up. Big time.

Before she could attempt to explain away the giant crack in the ground, a wave of exhaustion swept through her. This body was  _ not  _ used to exerting itself this much in the force. The floor met her head-on as her feet failed her.

“- oka? Ahsoka? Can you hear me?” Anakin’s worried voice sounded above. Ahsoka let her eyes open -  _ when did they close _ \- and adjust to the dusty lava-filled cave around her. She groaned lightly as she sat up, pain radiating from the back of her montrals.

“What... what happened?” She looked to her old master sitting in front of her questioningly, watching as a relieved yet confused smile made its way across his face. Ahsoka tried her best not to flinch when he stood up, but old habits die hard. She was just thankful Anakin decided against commenting on it.

“Well I was hoping you would be able to tell me snips.” He said almost jokingly, before taking on a more serious tone. “Are you alright? I don’t know what just happened, but it did not look easy.”

_ You have no idea, Skyguy.  _ Ahsoka herself was still trying to figure out how that happened. There was still a voice whispering in the back of her head that this was all fake, and as soon as she touched him, he would disappear. She gripped the hand offered to her tightly, grunting slightly in pain as Anakin yanked her up. Nothing changed. She was still on Mortis.

Ahsoka looked up the whole to the black sky, blinking the dampness out of her eyes. She then turned her gaze to Anakin, to the speeder bikes, then back to Anakin, smirking.

“Wanna race?”

* * *

Obi-Wan was more than nervous when the Son flew out of the cave, though it was short-lived as Ahsoka picked up his comm straight away. He decided that no matter how confused he was, it was better to wait until they were both here in person.

Thankfully, that wasn’t too long, as not even five minutes after whatever natural phenomena cause the ground to shake and the slit to appear in the ground, both his padawan -  _ ex _ -padawan - and grandpadawan raced over the edge of the hole, shit-eating grins evident on their face.

“I take it your confrontation with the Son went well, Anakin? I saw he fled very soon after we arrived.” Obi-Wan expected Anakin to overindulge in his recounting of what happened, taking triumph over what was a clear victory. Although, perhaps Ahsoka would talk her master up. Or drag him back down to earth.

No, confused and slightly panicked faces were  _ not  _ what he was expecting. He also wasn’t expecting Ahsoka to look like she was forcing tears back. He didn’t know whether he should be happy she was moving away from her child-like facial expressions or concerned as to why she felt she needed to hide from them.

Before he could try to get something out of her, Anakin turned to her, brow raised.

“Well Snips, you wanna try explaining now?”

“Uh…” She didn’t get to finish her stuttering as another quake ripped through the planet’s surface. As much as he wanted answers to the tension caused by that simple question, they needed to leave before the planet made that decision for them.

“Let’s hold off on that explanation, Anakin, and get back to the ship.”

Said Jedi’s eyes widened with sudden realization.

“The ship. The Son wants our ship. We have to get back now -” Obi-Wan put a reassuring hand on Anakin’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. He won’t be going anywhere.” He nodded to Ahsoka who revealed the spark plug hidden in one of her pockets, face void of all signs of tears once more, a smug smile in its place.

Now, he was  _ definitely  _ concerned.

* * *

  
  
Ahsoka watched as the tension left her master’s shoulders, smiling as he relaxed under the knowledge that their ship was safe from commandeering.

She hooked her legs over the speeder bike, kicking the engines into gear while looking expectantly at her masters, trying her best to keep her carefully created mask intact. She still had to fight off the tears that threatened to spill every time she met Obi-Wan’s kind eyes or Anakin’s concerned but confused gaze. 

Obi-Wan chuckled lightly at her eagerness to leave, patting the edge of his bike, gesturing to Anakin.

“Guess you’re riding with me.”

Ahsoka couldn’t make out what Anakin grumbled under his breath as he hooked a leg over the speeder bike, but she knew, for all that he pretended to be annoyed, he didn’t mind the extra time spent with his old master.

“Hey, Ahsoka?” Anakin started once they were seated on their speeders, about to take off. “You wanna tell me what went on back there?”

_ Kriff.  _ She hoped he had forgotten by now. Ahsoka needed more time to come up with a more believable excuse as to how she was able to overwhelm the Son without so much as a second thought. So, she did the mature thing to avoid the question and threw her goggles on, racing away from Anakin’s astounded face. She  _ really _ needed to think of a good excuse. And soon.

As the wind whipped across her face, Ahsoka’s mind wandered through her memories, attempting herself to figure out exactly  _ how  _ she did manage to tear through large expanses of rock in a single moment. 

_ “Ahsoka” _

_ The middle-aged not-Jedi opened her eyes, letting them flick around Jedi temple on Lothal while keeping her head still, trying to figure out where the soft yet powerful voice came from. _

_ “Over here, Ahsoka.” Said togruta turned around at the familiar voice, unable to place it until she laid eyes on its source. _

_ “Daughter.” She bowed her head slightly in respect, a gesture which was returned. She hadn’t seen the winged goddess ever since she used the last of her life to bring her back from death.  _ Wait _. _

_ “How are you here?” Ahsoka spoke out abruptly, wincing slightly as she realized the harshness of what she just did. The Daughter simply smiled, the movement albeit coated in sadness. _

_ “I am not here.” She inwardly raised an eyebrow at this. Apparently, she wasn’t as subtle as she thought as the Daughter elaborated a bit. “Not physically, at least.” At this statement, Ahsoka took her time to really look at the mystical figure in front of her, rather than assume based on her last interaction with her. _

_ While she still had a regal glow around her, it was rather muted, much like her presence in the force. Her green hair was darker, grey coating the outside skin. Her headpiece looked less like a crown and more like a cage. Now that she was really looking, Ahsoka could see signs of stress etched across her face; small perspiration marks seeping from her forehead. _

_ “You see,” Ahsoka quickly brought her attention back to the conversation, not wanting to be caught staring. “When I gave what little life I had left to your body all those years ago, a small part of my force signature was embedded in you, although it has remained dormant for most of your life after the events in my home prison” She paused, weighing her next words. _

_ “I’m sure you know Morai.” The Daughter looked at Ahsoka expectantly, only continuing once she nodded. That convor had saved Ahsoka’s life more times than Kanan and Ezra. “Morai has.... spiritual ties with me, to say the least. I could explain in more detail, but our time here is limited enough already. Simply speaking, she has kept me informed with what is happening outside of my half existence, the horrors the galaxy is facing.” _

_ Ahsoka winced, both in sympathy and understanding for the Daughter having to hear about it from a second-hand source, and in pain of the events that had taken place. That were still taking place.  _

_ Simply calling them horrors was an understatement. She still felt the occasional phantom sting in her head and stomach when she was ever reminded about the simultaneous execution of the Jedi. She might not have been a Jedi at that point, but her connection to the living force had increased during her self-inflicted exile from the temple. _

_ “The balance is broken. It has been for a while. I need you to help me fix this.” _

_ Ahsoka balked openly.  _ What _. _

_“You want_ me _, a lone force-wielder with no ties to any physical structure,_ _to single-handedly restore balance in a world where if I am seen as what I truly am -” She gestured to her lightsabers to emphasize her point. “- I would be shot at and chased until either I am dead, or anyone who knows about me is.” Ahsoka did not know why the Daughter would think_ she _was the right choice for this. “Not to mention - I’m no Jedi. I am not wholly light.” She laughed bitterly at her last statement_

_ Something in the Daughter’s eyes softened at Ahsoka’s broken tone. She sat down, opening her arms in an invitation for Ahsoka to do the same. _

_ When the togruta has her legs comfortably crossed, the Daughter continued. _

_ “No. You are not wholly light.” She flinched at the bluntness of the Daughter’s statement. “But that is why it must be  _ you. _ While I loathe to admit it, the Jedi lost a crucial part of themselves the moment they renounced any form of attachments or emotions under the guise it would lead to the dark side. _

_ “You have found balance, and while your moments of true balance are fleeting, you still found it. You were not afraid to look beyond the light, something I was never strong enough to do.” The Daughter looked down into her lap in… shame? When she looked back up, however, Ahsoka was met with a resolve of steel. _

_ “I will always be with you, young one. Soon, you will learn how to access my power within and use it to amplify your own. You must be careful of this blessing, though. Do not let anyone find out, for they will try to use you for their own gain. I have chosen you to be my champion as I pass from my physical form.” _

_ Her eyes widened as she realized the implications of the Daughter’s words. _

_ “I can’t do this alone.” Ahsoka hated the way her voice shook, even though she was doing everything in her power to stop it from breaking. _

_ “You will not be alone.” The Daughter raised her chin in a jerking motion, a silent instruction to turn around. So she did. And came face-to-face with the Son. She jumped up instantly, muscles coiled, ready to strike if need be. _

_ “You.” She spat. _

_ The Son had the audacity to smirk at her hostility. _

_ “I know what you think of my brother,” Ahsoka turned back around to look down at the Daughter, fully prepared to call her on her idiocy for allowing him here, however, was interrupted when the Daughter held her palm up, as if she expected this response. “But we need to work together. The root of this unbalance stemmed from when your old master refused our father, resulting in my death. Something never mentioned in my family’s documented history was our necessity to uphold the fragile balance the galaxy was held in.” _

_ Ahsoka stared at the Daughter like she had grown a third head. _

_ “What exactly can I do about this? I’m pretty sure that both of you are  _ dead _.”  _

_ The Son finally chimed into their conversation, his smug voice laced an almost undetectable amount of pain. _

_ “You must understand, child. My sister can only be with you for a short amount of time, and I even less. If you really wish to bring balance back to the galaxy, bring peace back into everyone’s lives, you must listen to us.” _

_ They’re already faint forms began to flicker, allowing Ahsoka to see the nothingness behind them.  _ No no no, they couldn’t leave now.  _ She tried reaching for their fading figures, desperately grasping out, only to be met with misty air. _

_ “Trust in the force Ahsoka.” The Daughter’s faint voice whispered, echoing through her skull. “Trust in the force. Listen to it.” _

_ “Listen to  _ all  _ of it.” The Son’s voice mixed in, intertwining with his sister’s. _

_ As their images faded, grey light swam into Ahsoka’s vision, forcing her to shut her eyes. When she opened them, she was back kneeling on the floor of the Lothal temple, watching it crumble around her as the sith forced the temple to rise. _

_ Listen to the force. Listen to  _ all _ of the force.  _

_ What the fuck did that mean? _

Ahsoka blinked back into her current reality as the ship came into view, slowing to a halt at the ramp before disembarking off the speeder. She turned around, dragging the goggles off her face with a quick yank, spotting her masters.

She managed to keep about ten seconds of peace - if she could really call standing alone, dripping in her own self-pity and loathing peace - before they arrived, lining their bikes with hers. Ahsoka smiled at them in greeting, earning a very unimpressed look from Anakin, who was clearly still miffed about her avoidance of his question.

Ahsoka really hoped he would hold off on interrogating her further until they completed their task of destroying the Son -  _ kriff they were going to have to do that  _ again - but luck was not on her side.

“So, Snips. You gonna answer me now?” 

Thankfully, Obi-Wan was. Sort of. She really needed to sort out her feelings about her grandmaster.

“Anakin I’m sure Ahsoka will explain whatever you believe she needs to explain in due time, but for now, we must go find the Father. It is clear he is not powerful enough to contain the Son without the Daughter here to help.” Keep it to Obi-Wan to live up to his namesake of negotiator.

Her grandmaster’s attempts at placating Anakin seemed to work for the time being, although Anakin made it very clear through a series of hand gestures and a sharp glare behind Obi-Wan’s back that they were by no means finished with this conversation.

Ahsoka tried her best to quell the nervousness running through her. She needed to come up with a cover story. And soon.

* * *

The Father was meditating when they arrived.

He was at the same place where the Son and the Daughter dualed the for the last time, though the room was void of any large furniture this time around.

Perched on a small mat, he still towered over them even as he kneeled on the ground. The roof of the room they walked through seemed to arched up further than it had before, as if it were trying to swallow the heartache and despair that echoed through the force. It did however, allow small slivers of light from the outside, just as it did last time. Although, there wasn’t much light to be let in.

As the three of them slowly approached the Father, Ahsoka couldn’t help but think of the differences and disturbances she has already caused to her new timeline within a couple of hours. She should think of it as a good thing, that the Son couldn’t turn Anakin this time. Ahsoka may not have experienced  _ that _ darkside-Anakin, but Obi-Wan, the other Obi-Wan, had told her what happened. At least, a watered down version of it.

Even so, Ahsoka felt worry prickle underneath her skin.

_ Something wasn’t right. _

She quickly realized she had fallen behind and rushed along to catch up to the others who were nearing the Father. Ahsoka simply watched, deciding it would be best if she removed herself from what was to come so she didn’t keep drawing attention to herself. Obi-Wan started to open his mouth to address the Father, only to be interrupted by Anakin, voice laced with venom.

“What the  _ hell _ was that.”

The Father opened one eye almost amused, as Obi-Wan had his palm meet his face in frustration at Anakin’s brashness. 

When he received no answer, Anakin stalked up to the powerful force wielder. Ahsoka noted that his hand was itching towards his saber.  _ Please don’t be stupid, master. _ She really didn’t want to have to intervene and place more suspicion on herself.

Thankfully, Obi-Wan decided to intervene before Anakin could cause too much of a scene.

“I believe what my colleague was trying to say,” Ahsoka’s mind instantly flashed back to all the other missions where Obi-Wan pulled that same negotiator voice to get what they needed. “Was, it would be very kind of you to help us understand the events that took place when confronting your Son.” While he was speaking, he managed to walk up to Anakin and place a hand on him, drawing the younger Jedi back.

The Father’s face contorted into different emotions, though Ahsoka could only pick up on a few as it flashed by nearly instantly. Pain, understanding, and… was that confusion?

Perhaps the Father was not as all-seeing as he led them to believe in both this timeline and the last.

“I’m afraid I do not know what caused the disruption to the planet’s core.”

_ Disruption to the plant’s core? What?  _ Ahsoka then realized the implications that had for her. That’s _ going to set Anakin off. _

“You mean to tell me my padawan -”

What was building to a rant was cut off as a screech ripped through the stillness, shattering any false sense of peace. As glass over-head rained down overhead, Ahsoka felt, more than saw, the Son enter in his gargoyle form, wings beating down powerfully on the group of Jedi like the wind on Kamino, forcing them to use the force to stand their ground. 

The dust settled, and the trio found themselves in between the Son and the Father. Ahsoka backed off to the side while Anakin and Obi-Wan drew their lightsabers. She still wasn’t ready to fight with her old sabers. They didn’t feel right. Not anymore.

Calmly, Ahsoka observed as the Son returned to his humanoid form and lowered himself into a crouch, dagger drawn behind his back, almost as if he was going to jump. 

Wait.

Too late. Before she could shout a warning, the Son leapt over her, Obi-Wan and Anakin, dark energy pulsating around him. She watched in horror as he twisted mid air, using the force to maneuver the dagger to his front, slamming down on the Father, piercing his heart.

Ahsoka didn’t know what to think as the Son gripped his father’s face. She didn’t know what to think as the Father stared back at his son with melancholy love.

“Now, you  _ die, _ father.” He twisted the knife in further. Ahsoka would have balked, would have turned away in disgust, if she were the same togruta that entered this sith hell of a planet. But she was different now. She watched on in distorted fasciation as the Father gazed into his son’s eyes, pain battling with love.

“No, my Son,” 

She remembered now, how they killed the Son the first time. The Son and the Daughter draw their power from the Father. It appeared as the Son also figured this out, if his fear-widened eyes and sudden stiff posture were anything to go on. Even as he gave his son the death sentence, as he got vengeance for his daughter, there was no malice in the Father’s words. Only resignation.

“Now, you die.”

The Father turned his head towards Anakin in an attempt to get him to finish the deed. Ahsoka decided she needed to step in first. She didn’t know why, but something was screaming silently at her to be the one to end it. Drawing from the planet’s force energy, she pushed herself up above Anakin and Obi-Wan with a single leap to where the Son towered over the Father, methodically plunging her already lit saber into the Son’s back.

Slowly, life bled from the Son’s body as he fell to the ground, eyes facing the absent stars. Ahsoka felt a grim sense of satisfaction as the red washed out of his irises like a river. The tightness in her muscles fled as she realized - not her actions, she had come to terms with killing her enemies when their backs were turned a few cycles after Raada, though she tried to refrain - but that her masters had just witnessed her kill in cold blood.

She supposed she could blame it on exhaustion, because Ahsoka  _ was _ drained, just not from the reasons they would assume. She had a feeling time-travel was very low on their lists of possibilities for why she was acting strange.

Even still. She needed to get out of here before she really did something she would regret.

Ahsoka extinguished her blade before turning tail and sprinting down the hall, ignoring the words of protest, throwing out some excuse of needing a minute to collect her thoughts as she passed Anakin and Obi-Wan, thankful that even if Anakin wanted to chase after her Obi-Wan had the tact to let her go.

And Anakin let him let her go. 

Like he always did.

She tried her best to ignore the chill that crept through her at the thought.

* * *

  
  


Obi-Wan really needed to get to the bottom of what was wrong with his old padawan. The Son was dead, and the Father would soon follow. They could finally leave this uncivilized rock. So why won’t Anakin stop pacing?

It had been five minutes since Ahsoka struck the killing blow to the Son while his back was turned, an act that Obi-Wan had his qualms with, but had decided against saying anything because of their circumstances, and fled outside. And Anakin wouldn’t stop pacing.

He ignored him for now, choosing instead to focus on the Father as he slowly slipped away. He gently lowered the Father’s head to the ground to allow him to drift into eternal sleep and become one with the force once again. Obi-Wan only allowed his attention to stray from the Father once his eyes shut and his breathing evened out, slowly becoming shallower and shallower.

“Anakin.” He tried to get his old pupil’s attention, but to no avail. “ _ Anakin.” _ He tried again, louder this time, finally getting a response in the form of an almost wild stare.

“ _ Anakin _ , what’s wrong?” The only answer he got was an icy chuckle. He tried again “Anakin, please, talk to me. What happened?”

He finally,  _ finally _ got a response.

“It’s Ahsoka.”  _ Well that was helpful _ . Obi-Wan simply stared blankly at his response, prompting Anakin to elaborate.

“She’s… different.” Before he could tell Anakin through something other than words,  _ again _ , that his vagueness was  _ not _ appreciated, he continued. “You saw what she just did,” He gestured to where the Father lay, gradually passing away in his sleep, hiding the Son’s corpse.

“And you didn’t even  _ see _ what she did, down in that cave. You saw that tear in the ground, right?”

_ Was he serious? _

“No, Anakin, I did not see the massive rip in the ground that suddenly appeared only moments after Ahsoka followed your trail into the place where the darkside is the strongest.  _ Which _ , by the way, you never told me what went on down there.”

Anakin’s frustration leaked from his force signature.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Ahsoka was the cause of the rip in the ground.  _ Ahsoka _ .”

It was official, the stress of the war and having a padawan had finally gotten to him. Anakin had finally lost his damn mind. Apparently Obi-Wan’s inner thoughts had made their way onto his face as Anakin rushed to defend himself.

“I’m serious, master. One minute, she was being forced onto the ground by his sith lightning, the next she was standing in the center of this ball of pure light and dark energy, and the crack in the ground had touched everywhere  _ except _ for where she was standing.”

Obi-Wan pinched the tip of his nose in frustration. There was no way Ahsoka, of all people, could have done something like this in the force. While he knew Ahsoka was powerful, he doubted any single Jedi could cause that much destruction in such a small amount of time, save Anakin himself. Not to mention, she was only a  _ padawan _ for crying out loud.

Still, he couldn’t deny the truth flowing through Anakin’s words. He clearly believed that what he was saying was true. Before he could reply, something rippled through the force. The two Jedi’s attention was drawn back to the Father, and they watched as he gave his last breath and… disappeared?

He didn’t have long to ponder the strange turn of events, as no sooner had the Father vanished the ground beneath him began to shake. His eyes were then drawn to the top of the tower as he watched, enraptured, as the crystal that floated throughout their visit came violently crashing down. 

The stone from the tower dropped consecutively, sending shockwaves through the ground. His fascination quickly morphed to horror as the self destruction of the tower became explosive, enveloping him and Anakin in a blinding light.

Before he collapsed, Obi-Wan was able to make out Anakin’s frantic shouts for Ahsoka, attachment barely hidden.

He just wished he could be as open as his padawan about these things

  
  


* * *

The tree where the Daughter brought her back to life came into view. Ahsoka knelt down below, removing her sabers from her belt and laying them down in front of her, shutting her eyes in the process, allowing her senses to stretch out across the ground.

Eventually, Ahsoka found herself tapping into the power from within the planet, as weak as it was now that the Father was close to death. She brought every emotion she could find on the surface of her subconscious to light, staying far away from those stuffed down inside a box she wasn’t going to open until she was alone in a room with nothing of value.

Ahsoka connected with her rage simmering on the surface of her skin, merged that with the protectiveness she felt over Anakin, and to a lesser extent, Obi-Wan. Brought her emotions she was always told to let go of and tried to find her peace with them. She has gone too long suppressing her force signature to simply give everything over to it.

Ahsoka knew the line she toed was dangerous, and could easily blow up in her face, but she needed to do as the Daughter said. Find balance within herself to find balance outside herself.

She brought her attention back to the route of her problem—the crystals.

Ever since she activated her sabers in this time period, Ahsoka felt disconnected to them. While it was nice to have her old lightsabers back, ignoring the heavy feelings it stirred up inside of her, she couldn’t help but think they weren’t  _ hers _ , not completely.

Dragging all her concentration, she connected to the center of her crystals. If anyone was watching her, they would see her sabers floating slightly above ground in pieces, with the crystals circling each other in a continuous orbit, shining more than they normally would.

Her kyber crystals. Her  _ original  _ kyber crystals. The green one for her main saber and the lime yellow for her shoto. They just didn’t fit any more. Ahsoka had gotten so used to her other sabers, her purified white ones. She recalled how they sang out to her when she rescued them from the sixth brother after their fight on Raada. Still, she never truly felt a connection to them like her one with these crystals.

The purification process was… strange, to say the least. It was clear to her as soon as she touched them that the crystals would never be hers, not really, but when she purified them, they created a bond strong enough that Ahsoka trusted them to get the job done each time perfectly. 

Some part of her, deep down for all this time, had the idea that in getting her old sabers back, she would find peace, having a part of herself returned to her. But there was still something off about them. Something missing.

Ahsoka moves her concentration and thoughts away from the past, the future and the might-have-beens to the now. To the crystals in front of her. She listens to them as they show her brief flashes of a memory. The first time she found them, in the caves of Ilum.

They called out to her, each at different times. Once when she was a youngling, and once when she was a padawan.

Something else took over her vision. Her own memories this time, of getting her lightsabers back from Anakin. Igniting them to find they were blue, sharing one last moment. She managed a bittersweet smile at the thought. That was her last happy memory of her master. Their last moment until they met, nearly twenty years later.

Anger and sadness rose up in her. She tried her best to shove it down, but it kept coming up like magma trying to claw its way out of a volcano.

Her thoughts became mist, disappearing into the air around her, allowing her mind to be free for a blissful second.

_ Ahsoka _ . 

That wasn’t her. 

That was  _ not  _ her voice.

_ Ahsoka. You are my chosen _ . 

Was that the Daughter?

_ I trust you, Ahsoka. But you must also trust yourself. _ It was the Daughter, Ahsoka remembered a similar message last time she spoke with the winged goddess.

_ But you must trust in the other _ . What? What sort of a cryptic message was that?

Before she could ask, Ahsoka felt the Daughter’s presence slip out of her mind.  _ No no no please don’t go _ . She tried so hard to latch on to the last remnants of the Daughter’s light, but it glided through her mind’s outstretched fingers when she reached out.

Ahsoka reached out once again, past the energy emanating from her crystals, ignoring their changing signature, and expanded her senses.

She felt the push and pull of the planet’s core, felt it extend upward and inward. Felt the darkness dissipate with the Son’s recent death, felt the light slowly rise back to become equal with the dark.

What was it the Daughter said? Balance?

And what in the karking sith hells did she mean by the other. Who the kriff was the  _ other _ ? And how were they meant to help Ahsoka find balance within the galaxy.

She felt her anger rise with her frustration of what was going on and, this time completely aware of it and its cause, tried her best to release it into the force. When that didn’t work, she squished it down back into the dark vortex where all things that should never be spoken of are hidden.

_ How the fuck was she meant to create balance within the galaxy when balance continued to elude her? _

“ _ Ahsoka.” _ The voice echoed in her head.

“Ahsoka.” It sounded like a person, not a vision.

She didn’t know where it was coming from or who it was, but she could rule out any of the Ones. It sounded too real to be them.

Ahsoka tried to grasp onto the source of the voice but, much like the Daughter, it slipped through her fingers like river water on Shili.

Her eyes flicker open in frustration in her inability to hold onto anything, emotions included, only to see her crystals and sabers drop to the floor in pieces.  _ When did they move? _

Ahsoka shut her eyes once more, directing her attention to her disassembled sabers. It took her a few tries to re-center herself, but eventually she slipped back into the mindset she had when she first assembled her saber as a youngling. She let herself be aware of every nook and cranny, every bolt and screw, and pulled them into place, bit by bit, piece by piece.

Finally, they were done.

Blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted once more, she took in her new creations slowly. There were of different lengths, similar to what they were before, although elements of her white lightsabers were evident. The design she went with this time was much sleeker and smoother, but with the small bulb at the bottom still present. She liked them.

Igniting the sabers, Ahsoka looked on in giddy astonishment at the sapphire blades, a deeper colour than the last time they were blue, but blue nonetheless. As she marveled at the changed colour, a loud explosion ripped through her ears. Quickly diminishing the blades, Ahsoka ripped her head around to see the crystal had fallen and the tower was coming down.

She realized that during her meditation, the Father must have passed away, and just like last time the planet must be slowly caving in on itself. Ahsoka does the best to calm herself as yellow light emerges from the place where the large light crystal once stood.

Pure energy enfulgese her vision, before blurring out to blackness. 

_ I really need to stop making falling unconscious a hobby _ . She managed to think humorlessly, before her ability to process the outside world left her.

* * *

“-neral Kenobi, can you hear me? General Skywalker, are you out there?”

Anakin groaned as he sat up, hand nursing his temple as vision came back to him.

“General Skywalker, this is Captain Rex. Can you hear us? Please respond sir.” A quick once over of the cockpit showed him that he was the only one awake, so he stiffly reached over to respond, rolling his arm to bring feeling back to it while he did so.

“Hey Rex. Boy am I glad to hear your voice.” Anakin fought the urge to check on Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, instead he tried to focus on what Rex was saying. He knew they would be alright.

“You too, general,” Rex responded, though he sounded different to the last time they spoke. More weary and reserved.  _ How long were they gone _ ? “We lost you there for a second.”

_ What? _

“It’s been more than a second Rex.” He tried not to sound too panicky.  _ Was it all just some weird force-induced hallucination? _

“I don’t understand sir?” There was still something in Rex’s voice that he couldn’t place. He decided to ignore it for now, just relieved to be out of whatever that place was, be it a strange planet never seen before or something his own mind decided to concock.

“We’ve got a lot to catch you up on.”

* * *

  
  


She thought she was prepared to board the ship. How wrong she was. The moment Ahsoka saw all those familiar faces and painted armor, she nearly caved in on herself.

Muttering some excuse, Ahsoka sped off to her dorm, needing some time to… adjust.

Three times on her way to her room, she had to forcefully stop herself from slamming her troopers, because that’s what they were right now,  _ her _ troopers, into the ground and knocking them out, simply out of habit.

Once she arrived at her room it was no different.

As tired as she was, Ahsoka could not sleep. No matter how relaxed she forced herself to be, blissful unconsciousness continued to evade her. She couldn’t take lying in her bunk anymore. Couldn’t take the thoughts that raced around her head as she stared at the metal above her.

Standing, Ahsoka stretched, cracking her neck, before leaving her quarters silently. Some part of her brain reminded her that when she arrived back at the temple she would have to break that habit, the habit she had spent many years perfecting in order to survive. It would be too suspicious.

Ahsoka had many habits that would need breaking, or altering, in order to not put her under more suspicion than she already would be.

She already had her master breathing down her neck for her abrupt departure from the bridge. She just couldn’t do it, all those faces staring at her, nothing but kindness and respect, knowing that there were evil chips hidden in their head that could force them to murder her and any other Jedi around her with one command.

_ Except for Anakin. You know they wouldn’t  _ dare  _ kill him,  _ a treacherous part of her brain supplied. She did her best to tune it out.

As Ahsoka roamed the halls of the venator-class star destroyer, she ran her hand absent-mindly over the smooth walls, finding herself once again on the verge of tears.

Knowing she would have to masquerade as a Jedi were she to prevent the rise of the empire, the rise of the sith, Ahsoka tried to release her emotions, tried to draw back on one of her earliest lessons as a youngling, and just let it all flow out into the force, however she found herself unable.

The shock of returning back gripped her in its iron claws, the grief she had shoved down was beginning to resurface. Worst of all though, was the  _ guilt _ . The guilt she felt, knowing the fate of every single clone she passed, how they would betray those they trusted with their lives without a second thought.

It didn’t help that she could feel every one of them on the ship if she let her mental walls slip.

She felt guilt as they called her Commander.  _ Commander. _ She didn’t deserve the title. She  _ left _ . Ahsoka knew she was justified in her choice, knew that she could be a Jedi no longer after the council showed her no trust in a time where trust was imperative, but it didn’t stop the dark voice inside her dead from whispering that if she stayed, that if she remained a Jedi, none of it would have happened.

Ahsoka tried once more to grab this feeling and let it go, shutting her eyes and halting her steps as she did so, but to no avail.

The feeling buried itself deep inside her, moving through her blood, ever being a part of her.

She supposed she should have accepted this, should have known she would never escape.

Ahsoka shook herself out of her stupor when she heard footsteps from around the corner. As they came closer, Ahsoka mentally prepared herself to be called  _ Commander _ once more. All mental preparation flew out the window when the figure rounded the corner.

_ Rex. _

It took him longer to recognize her as he removed his helmet once he turned into the hallway she was occupying, however once he did, shock flew over his face, though it was gone just as fast. Had she been the same Ahsoka as when she last occupied this body, she wouldn’t have noticed it. 

Rex was one of her oldest friends in the rebellion, one of her oldest friends in the galaxy. She had no idea how she was going to get through this one.

The smile he gave her as she approached him wasn’t real, though it did pronounce the bags under his eyes. She supposed she probably looked the same. Ahsoka once again willed the tears out of her eyes. She was getting quite good at that.

“Ahsoka, glad to see you and the generals back in one piece.” She smiled at that. If there was one thing she missed, it was the casualness between her and Rex without the added burden of the past surrounding their every word. 

“You too, Commander.” Her eyes widened marginally.

_ Shit. Fuck. Kriff. Karking  _ sithspit. She farckled it up. Big time.

Before she could chalk it up to stress or lack of sleep, Rex’s eyes widened as he dropped his helmet with a loud  _ clang _ that echoed through the empty hallway of the cruiser.

_ “Fulcrum?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed!  
> Feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion, I will try to get back to you as soon as possible - I'm so sorry to the people who I didn't manage to reply to the last update, I will try my best to get back to anyone who asks a question or leaves a suggestion.  
> I do have one sort of strange request for anyone who's interested? We're doing short fiction writing at school and I want to write a one-shot but I'm stumped on ideas. If anyone has anything that I could use in a small story I would really appreciate the help - I'll upload it once I've submitted it.  
> But that's only if you feel up to it  
> Thank you guys so much for reading!   
> Have a great week and stay safe.  
> Love you all <3

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!  
> I'd love to hear your ideas because as much as I want to continue this (and I will), I only have a few more chapters outlined, so tell me if you have any ideas/suggestions for where I could take this.  
> Any criticism is also welcome!  
> Have a great day/night you beautiful people, and stay safe, happy and healthy!


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